


Blink And You'll Miss It

by Halmaithor



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Fluff, M/M, POV Dean Winchester, Supportive Dean Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2021-01-06 08:49:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21223856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Halmaithor/pseuds/Halmaithor
Summary: Dean knows he’s staring, but he can’t help it. When did this happen?But after giving it a moment’s thought, he knows that’s not the right question. A more accurate one is: how did he miss it?





	Blink And You'll Miss It

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Camille: sastiei.tumblr.com](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Camille%3A+sastiei.tumblr.com).

> Written during season 11, and set after they've dealt with Amara in some nebulous, magical way that made everything okay again.

Dean knows he’s staring, but he can’t help it. _When did this happen?_, he thinks.  
But after giving it a moment’s thought, he knows that’s not the right question. A more accurate one is _How did I miss it?_

Cas has been spending a lot more time at the Bunker since they took down Amara. They all needed some recuperation time, understandably - probably Cas most of all. And Dean _didn’t_ miss how much more Sam talked to the angel, especially during those first few weeks. He was glad to see it - who better to talk to, for both of them, than the only other person alive who knows exactly what it’s like? - but he was careful never to eavesdrop. Partly because it was none of his business, but also for his own peace of mind - chances were, whatever Dean heard would result in him heading out in a fury and hacking up the first monster he could find, since taking revenge on Lucifer wasn’t exactly an option any more. And while that wasn’t such a bad idea, in Dean’s opinion, it would definitely make the other two suspicious.   
Perhaps it was his determination to avoid walking in on those talks that made him miss it. But at some point, they changed from discussions across the library table, to murmured conversations as the two of them sat right next to each other on the couch.

Then there was breakfast. Once Cas had recovered enough that he didn’t need as much sleep anymore, he joined Sam in the Early Risers Club - or, as Sam put it with a snort, ‘people who know that mornings are for waking up and nights are for sleeping, Dean.’ (Dean, for his part, remembers how worried Sam looked when his big brother was forsaking sleep for research all the time, and took the sarcasm with a full canister of rock salt.)   
In any case, it wasn’t unusual for the others to be up some time before him. So maybe Dean could be forgiven for failing to notice, in his pre-coffee state each day, another change. Nothing much, just a subtle shift in the atmosphere he came down into - from feeling like he was walking in on a couple of roommates having breakfast, to something undeniably more… domestic.

But one thing Dean probably _should_ have noticed by now is the outings. That started around two months after the Amara showdown, by which time they were already hunting again, if at a slightly more relaxed rhythm nowadays - which means that Sam and Cas have started going out and about more often, just the two of them. The trips are things Dean isn’t particularly interested in; films that are only appealing if you’re a geek like Sam, or places such as museums, especially ones which are more art- than history-focused. So that’s probably why Dean didn’t notice that how often he’s invited to come along has tapered off a little bit.  
He’s not complaining. He’s really _not_ interested in those things anyway, and it’s not like they never do anything fun with all three of them. And there are still evenings just spent in the Bunker together, or nights where he and Sam hit a bar after they finish a case.   
But those other times, when it’s just Sam and Cas going out? He’s thinking there’s a little more to it than he realised.

Until now, that is.

He’s standing in front of Sam’s bedroom door. It’s open, which is fairly unusual in itself. Dean didn’t come snooping, honestly - but when he walked past he glanced inside automatically, and he hasn’t quite managed to look away yet.

Castiel is stretched out on the bed, on top of the covers, dozing. (Dean doesn’t know if he’ll ever fully heal, get back to the point where he doesn’t need to sleep at all.) Sam looks asleep too, lying on his side, curled up next to him. His head’s resting against the angel’s shoulder, his arm reaching across Cas’ chest.  
Cas opens his eyes blearily, and seeing Dean in the doorway, he smiles and lifts a hand in a tiny little wave. Then he looks down at Sam, and kisses the top of his head before settling back down. Sam’s response - which is probably a sign he’s at least half-asleep, because he doesn’t seem to have noticed Dean standing there - is to smile and shift a little closer to Cas, with a contented sigh.

Dean moves away from the door as quietly as he possibly can, trying (and failing) to control the (undoubtedly sappy) grin on his face. It’s unexpected, and more than a little bizarre - come _on_, his little brother is apparently _dating_ an Angel Of The Freaking Lord - and Dean doesn’t understand how the _hell _he missed it.

But damn, he’s glad it’s happened.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr:  
silver-latin-and-salt.tumblr.com


End file.
